SAVOR Recruits Chefs to Talk Food/Beer, Plus More Intel

Brewers Association executive chef Adam Dulye tells Eater that Savor organizers thought long and hard about how to make the 10th anniversary event, scheduled to take place June 2 and June 3 at the National Building Museum (401 F Street NW), truly memorable.

“We wanted to kind of shake it up,” he said of the decade-old tribute to craft brewing. The first thing the group did was tweak the floor plan. They carved out room in the center of the hall for communal tables and seating, and moved some of the participating breweries and corresponding food pairings to the perimeter. Dulye said they also expanded operations on the second floor, a move which is expected to allow for up-close-and-personal tastings conducted by chef Nathan Anda of Red Apron Butcher, the team from Choptank Oyster Company, chocolatier Nathan Miller, and three artisan cheese producers.

Dulye said 86 breweries have signed on to show off their stuff — 76 on the main level, 10 up on the second floor — this year. In addition, several chefs have agreed to make the rounds to discuss the featured foods and beers, including Red Hen and All-Purpose founder Mike Friedman, Philadelphia restaurateur (and cacio e pepe pie-maker) Marc Vetri, chef Kyle Mendenhall of Arcana in Boulder, Colo., Gavin Fine of Fine Dining Restaurant Group in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and others.

Featured food pairings run the gamut, from lamb tartare with tamarind and Thai basil (“We’re gonna use those flavors to play off the notes of the hops,” Dulye said of this natural fit with IPAs) to an elk mole studded with pepitas (“It’s gonna lead with a little bit of spice to activate the palate,” he said, suggesting the combination should complement bolder brews). Tickets to the tasting extravaganza are $135 per person.

Chef Shuffles

Bryan Moscatello IN as executive chef at 701 Restaurant. An alum of several since-shuttered local kitchens including Zola, Potenza Trattoria, and Spy City Cafe, Moscatello is already at work on a spring revamp featuring dishes such as blood orange-glazed octopus with anise, citrus, caper vinaigrette, and salsify, as well as sunchoke tortellini with charred spinach, espelette jus, and lemon sabayon.